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Trump Travel Ban Takes Effect Thursday

President Donald Trump's revised travel ban, a tightening of already-tough visa rules affecting citizens and refugees from six Muslim-majority countries, will go into effect Thursday evening. The ACLU is criticizing the Trump administration for pushing on with the ban, citing the chaos that erupted in airports nationwide the first time the ban went into effect. (Published Thursday, June 29, 2017)

President Donald Trump is weighing the next iteration of his controversial travel ban, which could include new restrictions on travelers from additional countries.

Trump's ban on visitors from six Muslim-majority nations is set to expire this coming Sunday, 90 days after it took effect.

The Department of Homeland Security has recommended the president impose new, more targeted restrictions to replace the blanket ban imposed in the March 6 executive order. The restrictions could vary by country, officials said.

"The acting secretary has recommended actions that are tough and that are tailored, including restrictions and enhanced screening for certain countries," Miles Taylor, counselor to the secretary of Homeland Security, told reporters in a conference call Friday.

Parkland Shooting Survivor Calls 'BS' on Politicians' Gun Stance

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High senior Emma Gonzalez had a message for president Donald Trump and for other politicians on their failure to enact sensible gun laws: "BS." Gonzalez was one of several survivors to speak at a rally held outside the Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to speak out against the gun lobby.

(Published Sunday, Feb. 18, 2018)

Officials refused to say how many countries — and which countries — might be affected, insisting the president had yet to make a final decision on how to proceed.

The president is expected to sign a proclamation codifying the changes once he's made a decision. The recommendations were first reported by the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

Trump's ban, which went into effect in June following a round of legal challenges, has applied to citizens of Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen who lacked a "credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the United States."

Trump had originally tried to ban the entry of nationals from seven countries, including Iraq, in a January executive order that sparked protests, chaos at airports and a flurry of legal challenges. Amid the backlash, Trump issued a second, narrower order, which he later derided as a "watered down, politically correct version."

After a bomb partially exploded on a London subway last week, Trump once again called for a tougher ban.

"The travel ban into the United States should be far larger, tougher and more specific — but stupidly, that would not be politically correct!" he wrote on Twitter.

The administration has argued the ban was necessary to give it time to complete a thorough review of screening procedures and information sharing to make sure that those who enter the country don't pose a safety risk. Critics accuse the president of overstepping his authority and targeting Muslims.

The Supreme Court is set to hear oral argument on the constitutionality of the order next month.